Year book of the American clan Gregor Society ... - Electric Scotland

70
American Clan Gregor Society
then second in command at the Naval Academy, regretting the occurrence
and assuring me that it was a mistake—which explanation
was conveyed to Captain Dunbar.
On the morning of Sunday the 21st of April, 1861, at quite an
early hour, I was awakened by the announcement that there were
two gentlemen below who wished to see me. I went down and found
Mr. Hagner (now Judge of the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia), and Captain Blake, Superintendent of the Naval Academy.
They had called for me as Mayor of Annapolis, to announce that
during the night General Butler had arrived with troops from Llassachusetts
on their way to the defence of the Capitol, threatened by
the Confederates. Captain Blake stated that in consequence of the
railroad being torn up between Baltimore and Washington and the
excited state of Baltimore city. General Butler was obliged to come
in here, but that I could assure the people of Annapolis that they
would not be interfered with in any manner, and that the Naval
Academy would go on as usual. With these gentlemen I went to see
the Governor and we talked over the situation. I had several interviews
with him during the day, in one of which Mr. Hagner urged
him to call a convention to decide upon the course to be pursued,
arguing that it would better represent the views and wishes of the
people of the State tha na legislature which had been chosen some
time before on different issues. This he declined to do, but r^aid he
would probably call the Legislature, which in a day or two he did,
to convene at Frederick. A number of the members were arrested
by General McClellan, and confined in Fort Warren for several
months, being thwarted in a suspected attempt to establish a pro-
visional government in sympathy with the secessionists. In accordance
with suggestions, on the next day (Monday), I called a town
meeting to consider the situation, but the views of those composing
it were so divergent that nothing came of it. In the afternoon I
called on General Butler, representing to him as well as I could the
state of affairs, and urging upon him the importance, in the interest
of the city and the Naval Academy, of his getting away as soon as
possible, for his presence would likely provoke attack from those
in Baltimore. He said that he was anxious to get to the Capital for
its defence, and that if unmolested the county through which he
passed would not the next day know that he had been through; that
if we were anxious to get rid cf him we could help him by assisting
in getting wagons, horses, etc., I told him that I did not think, in
the present excited state of public feeling, that he would receive aid
of that kind. He said he was a democrat and a warm friend of the
South, admired its peculiar institutions and would like to be a slaveholder
himself; that in the Democratic National Convention he had
voted 27 times for Jefferson Davis for the Presidency; and I think
said that in the presidential contest had supported Breckenbridge. I